Radio-active material.



Gr SCHMIDT. RADIO-ACTIVE MATERIAL. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1911.

Patented July 16, 1912 ME i..

UNITED sfra rggaainnr orrion.

CUB! SCHMIDT, OI NEAR FREIENWALDE-ON-THE-ODER, GERMAN RADIO-ACTIVE MATERIAL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Curr Sonmn'r, a citizen of the German Empire, works director, of Alum Works, near Freienwalde-on-the- Oder, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Radio- Aotive Materials; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,.elear, and exact description of the invention, enable others skilled, in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference Inarlred thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The invention relates to a riulio-active m: terial. which is designed to render other sol1cl bodies, gases or liquids radio-active by emanation.

Radio-active materials already exist, in which the radioactive substance proper is mixed with inert bodies and forms together with said bodies a porous whole. The essential feature of the invention consists in using a'material of a clay or loam like char,- -acter, 2'. 0., an argillaceous material which, when subjected to a burning process, acts as a binding agent,.forming with the radio active substances solid radio-active bodies which possess a highly porous structure that are insoluble in water and other liquids. If desired other substances can be mixed therewith, previous to the burning process, in order to increase the porosity. Such a material has the advantage-Whatthe radio-activo sub tance proper cannot be dissolved out of the porous mass by a liquid and that tin:- liquid is not colored. Many radio-activ substances c nsist. of ores or powdered rcidues obtained in the treaunent ot' uranium compounds, which undcr ordinary circumstances are easily dissolved by liquids and color them. This must however be avoided, \xlu-n, tor example, it is desired -to render a liquid active by using such a substance, supposing; that said liquid has to be used for the exterior treatmentof the human liody or as a medicinal drink. The new substanre renders the use of such liquids tor one or the most. important purposes possible, that. tor the transport of mineral waters in bottles, convenient because the appear-' ance and composition of these clear liquids are not altered in any way.

5 The new substance can be used inany dc such as will Specification of Letters Extent.

thatthe outer sired form, that is, either in the form of bodies which can be placed in vessels or other receptacles, or it can serve as a stop per for the same, or the walls of such vessels or receptacles can be coated with the substances in any desired form. For this special purpose a process for producing the radioactive substance can be employed, which consists in coating the \'Q it.l5 with a suitable binding agent and then washing the same witlia liquid having radioactive substances dissolved thercin before proceeding to the burning proces...

In the accompanying drawing several forms of such radio-active bodies are shown by way of example.

Figure 1 represents a bottle in which such a body having openings is contained.- Figs. 2-8 show various forms of such bodies designed with the object of obtaining as large a surface as possible, either by providing recesses or holes or the like. Fig. 2, for example, represents a ball having two roles therein. Fig. 3, a longitudinal section, and Fig. 'l, an end View of a cylinder, Fig. a longitudinal section, and Fig. 6, an end view of a cylindrical body having rounded ends and provided, with longitudinal and'lateral holes, Fig. 7, a longitudinal section, and Fig. 8 a top View (partly in section on the line G-ll in Fig. 7) of an H-shaped body in which are also provided a large number of perforations. F

Such bodies can be produced as follows: A powdered radio-active material may be intin'intelymixed with loam, clay or other rarthy substance, and the mixture then burned. By so doing the emanating property of the radioactive material is not destroyed, and the body, although it remains porous, becomes insoluble in water. it the entire body is formed from a uniform mixture it; is of advantage. a shown in the drawing, to provide. recesses, holes and the like, in order to increase the surface. The materials can however be so distributed surlacc contains more radioactive material than the inner parts. it it is desired to obtain a high degree of rosity carbon or sawdust an be mixed with the clay, loam, or other substance, which is driven oh 1;. the burning process. mano'cr entire vessels, such as bottles, tune blcrs iugs or the like can be produced, the interior surfaces 'ot' which can be left porous,

, Patented July 16, 1912. Application filed January 10 1911. Serial No. 601,927.

In similar while the exteriors can be glazed. 'Further, the s..oppcrs or lids can be produced from this substance.

Instead of mixing the radio-active material with the binding agents like shaped bodies can be rolled in active powdered or dissolved material. T his however, must be so done thatin the burning processtheradioactive material and the other substance in tended to carry it are bound together in the desired manner. Such masses can also be used for coating W21llS,'f0l example, the inside of cupboards, casks, large baths, or other large vessels, and either the Whole-or a part of the same may be so coated. If it is desired to distribute the radio-activityinside such vessels as uniformly as possible, they canbe rinsed or washed with a liquid in which the radio-active substance is dissolved so that the material of which the vessel, or the like, is formed will absorb such sub stance, and the binding may be done in the manner above explained, or in any other suitable Way. It the baths or other vessels are made of tiles or plates, these can be treated in the manner described.

In such cases in which, for example, clay or loam like materials have themselves a radio-active property, it is of course not necessary to mix other radio-active substances. Moreover the invention offers the advantage that the bodies can receive a diiferent degree of radio-activity. A larger or smaller quantity of the radio-active ma terial can of course be mixed with the clay like or other material, and by suitably choosing the proportions of such materials the strength of the radio-activityiis determined.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A radio-active material composed of a radio-active substance and an argillaceous material, fire united.

A process for producing the described radio-active material, which consists in mixing a radio-active substance with an argillaceous binding; agent and a combustible substance and then subjecting the mixture to heat suilicient to burn the argillaccous material, substantially as, and for the purpose,

set forth.

The process of producing radio-active material, which comprises burningamixture of a radio-active material and loam.

4. The process of producing radio-active material, which comprises burning a mixture of a radio-act've material, a combustible filler and lpamfthereby removing the filler to obtain a -porous material from which the.

radio-active;niaterial is not soluble by ordinary liquids when in contact therewith.

The method of making ItldlO-fiCtlVG bodies, which comprises mixing powdered radio-active material with loam, forming the mixture into the desired shape and burning the mixture.

6. The method of making radioactive bodies, which comprises mixing powdered radio-active material with an argillaceous material, forming the mixture into the dcsired shape and burning the mixture-to fire unite the two materials. v 7. The method of making radio-act ve bodies, which comprises intimately mixing carbon and an argillaceous material, mixing with said mixture a radi0-active substance,

forming the mixture into desired shapes and bon.

In testimony that I claim my invention, 1 have signed my name in presence. of two subscribing witnesses.

burning same, thereby driving out the C311" Witnesses:

HENRY Hasrnn, lVonnmaAn Haur'r.

cunr soar/1.11am. g

the foregoingas 

